Abstract:

The optimum supercritical fluid CO2 (SFE-CO2) extraction process of essential oil from Chimonanthus praecox flowers that maximizes oil yield was investigated using orthogonal array design and the essential oil obtained was analyzed for chemical composition by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed the optimal values of SFE-CO2 extraction parameters were as follows: extraction for 3 h at 30 MPa pressure level, 40 ℃, and 25 kg/h CO2 flow rate and the optimized conditions resulted in a maximal oil yield of (1.18 ± 0.02)%. A total of 57 components were identified and the dominant compounds were alcohol, ester and terpene, accounting for 67.30%, 15.19% and 10.90% of total essential oil, respectively. Based on the above test and analysis, it is speculated that the fragrance of Chimonanthus praecox flowers might be attributed to those compounds in essential oil including acetic acid, phenylmethyl eser, bornyl acetate and dibutyl phthalate.

Key words: Chimonanthus praecox flower, essential oil, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, GC-MS